Chapter 8- Safari Zone Catastrophe, pt 1

" Hey, Ash, wake up!"

Ash woke up and slowly recognized the strange look Brock, Felicia and a half-dressed James were giving him. Pikachu was as confused as he, a small "Pika?" backing up his attitude.

" You two just can’t get enough of each other, can you?" James asked.

" Huh?"

" Pi…PIKA!!"

Pikachu tugged on his shirt and pointed to the other end of the couch, where Misty slept. Inferno dozed on her shoulders and Ember and Tidal slept in her lap. Ash leapt off of the couch in a mixture of shock and surprise, his mouth dropping open.

" I know what you are thinking but I honestly have NO IDEA what she’s doing here!!"

" Suuuure you don’t." Felicia teased, walking over to the bar where Jessie, Meouth, Aya and Shadowcat sat eating breakfast. Inferno opened his eyes wearily to the apparent scene.

" Woah, Ember, did you start this fire?" He queried, wiggling out from his perch between Misty’s neck and the couch. Ember was waking too, playfully batting at Tidal’s frill to stir him. The movement and loud argument eventually jarred Misty awake. She sat up with a cheerful, " Hi everyone!"

" What ARE you doing down here???!!" Ash yelled angrily, his voice practically throwing her backward off of the couch.

" What’s your problem??" She yelled back.

" I slept down here to GET AWAY from you!!!! Not for you to follow me!!!" he shouted, trying to control his fury until he had stormed into the next room and slammed the door.

" Huh?" Ember queried, cocking and eyebrow.

" Oh, we came down here and Misty was sleeping by him so genius here gave him a hard time." Felicia said, referring to Brock. Brock flushed.

" That isn’t the reason I was down here Felicia, I…"

Felicia narrowed her eyes, and Misty promptly shut up, heading over to where Aya and Shadowcat were sharing a bowlful of Brock’s Pokemon food.

" So, what are we going to do today?"

" Sit around on our asses and bicker like children?" Jessie guessed sarcastically, laughing and clinking her glass with Meouth’s. Misty scowled.

" Well if that’s your day plan Jessie I guess mine won’t have to include you." Felicia joked, causing laughter from everyone accept Jessie.

" I was thinking, would you all like to go to Opal Island today?"

" What’s that?" James asked, swallowing his cereal.

" Its like some 300 or so acres of land set up like a safari zone. Its full of crystal Pokemon up for the catch."

" If that doesn’t cheer Ash up, nothing will." Brock stated.

" I can think of a few things that would do the job just as well..." Meouth whispered to James.

" Sounds fun." Misty said, heading up the stairs. As soon as she turned the corner to enter their room, however, the house shook with shouts and crashes as Ash made a half-dressed retreat to the downstairs bathroom.

Aya sighed. " This is gonna be a looong day.."

***

About three hours later, after discussing day plans over and over and keeping Ash and Misty from killing each other, they had all decided to pack up and ship to Opal Island. Brock threw the rest of their carry-along bags into the back of Felicia’s Cherokee, then hopped up in the front seat alongside of her. James squirmed in he and Meouth’s back-compartment make shift seat and whined, " Why can’t Misty or Ash sit back here? I’m too squished...Meouth is poking me…"

" Shut up James." Jessie said as Felicia hit the gas and they started foreword.

***

" Now each of you has been equipped with 10 crystal pokeballs and have reviewed the rules of capture thoroughly…"

The safari warden had been rambling on for over an hour and almost all of the 20 hopeful trainers were asleep. Felicia held up her hand.

" Yes ma’am?" he asked through his push-broom mustache.

" Are we ever gonna catch Pokemon or listen to your dull, no-pitched voice the whole time?"

This got a laugh from everyone.

" Excuse me, ma’am, but you don’t look like you know a thing about Pokemon training."

(Everyone) "Ooh…"

" I probably have more Pokemon skill than you and the seven cousins you ate." She commented towards the large rolls of flesh barley concealed by his tan safari shirt.

" Would you care to make a bet on that?" The warden said, removing a pokeball.

‘ Attention all Opal Island visitors, please make sure you stay with your party...’ The intercom droned as the gates opened. ‘ Happy hunting!’

The group of them walked up to a small fork in the road, close to a patch of loose boulders near and almost vertical ledge. Ash held out a map for everyone to see.

" I say we go after Razars first!" He said.

" No way! I want a KanKeree!" Jessie said.

" Wrong. Were going after Lucifers." Misty stated.

" You’re all incredibly incorrect. We’ll go and catch Bramblers." James stated.

" NO WAY!"

Soon they were all engulfed in a tremendous argument. Felicia and Pikachu sighed, while the 5 crystal Pokemon they had were rolling with laughter.

" SHUT UP!!!!!!!!" Felicia demanded. They all stopped.

" Look, why don’t we just split up? Go catch whatever you want and we’ll meet at the East Gate Rest House. Okay?"

They consulted the map for a moment.

" Sure!" Ash said. " I’ll go with Brock!"

" Sorry Ash," he said sheepishly. " I’m going with Felicia."

" What? Oh, no, no, no, that means I’m left with…" he turned to look at Misty, who didn’t look too thrilled.

" Aah!!!"

****

Brock and Felicia had walked for about 15 minutes, not seeing any Pokemon along the way. The sky was growing darker, which began to prey on Brock’s mind.

" Uh...Felicia I think we should head back…"

" Why? Its just a little cloudy! You’re not worried are you?"

" Oh, of course not!" he said, keeping up his ‘macho’ act as long as possible.

" Good. Oh! Look over there!" She said, pointing in mock excitement.

" What?"

" I think I saw a Brambler!! I’ve always wanted one!"

" I’ll catch it for you!!!" Brock said, leaping to the occasion.

" Really, oh you’re sooooo nice Brock! It was between that grove of trees!"

" I’m on it!" he said, taking off.

*Idiot.* She thought. Trudging through the grass in the opposite direction Brock had run, she looked up the rocky cliff and the perfect ledge that almost touched the shrouded sky. Smiling slyly, she pulled her hair back as she began to climb….

****

" I can’t believe we’ve come this far and we haven’t seen anything." Ash complained, resting his head in his hand. Misty stood with her arms folded about five feet from him.

" They probably all got scared when they saw you coming." She said.

" No, it wasn’t me they were afraid of…" he retorted.

" And what is THAT supposed to mean?" She snapped.

" You figure it out. You’re the genius who suggested we go this way."

" Ooh! Don’t blame it on me!! I…"

The loud voice yelling nearby interrupted their ‘conversation’. Whoever it was was obviously very angry, and the innocent Pokemon it was directed on pleaded to break your heart. Misty and Ash pushed back some foliage and looked out into the clearing, where a young man was yelling at a small turtle-like Pokemon.

" No! I don’t want to hear it! Get away from me, you filthy animal!!!" he shouted, pointing towards a muddy waterhole. The Pokemon looked up with tears in its shiny black eyes.

" Tanka Tanka…" he pleaded. Pikachu, on Ash’s shoulders, began to sniffle and lowered his ears.

" No! Get away from me! I’m sorry I ever caught you!!" He said, turning his back to the turtle. It took a few tiny steps foreword and rubbed against his masters’ leg.

" Tanka tan…"

" No!"

Wham!! The side of the man’s foot came in full contact with the turtle’s head, knocking it onto its back. Ash stood up, furious at the irrational behavior of the trainer.

" Hey! What do you think you’re doing??" Ash said defiantly, stepping out from the bushes.

" I’m going what I should have done a long time ago!" He said, giving the turtle another fierce kick on its soft underbelly. It squealed in pain.

" You have no right to treat your Pokemon that way! What kind of trainer are you?" Misty chimed in.

" Stay out of this, you little brats!" he said, pushing the Pokemon down the hill with his foot.

" I’ll show you what a real Pokemon trainer acts like, go! Pikachu!"

" Pika!!!" He said, hopping down from his shoulder perch.

" A pikawhat?" he said, looking at the rodent skeptically.

" It a Pikachu. My favorite Pokemon! Now, Pikachu, thunderbolt!"

" Pika…chuuuuuuu!!!!" Pikachu released hundreds of volts on the man, causing him to shriek and run off in the other direction.

" That was easy!" Ash said. Misty ran down to the bottom of the hill, and knelt down next to the Pokemon. Ash and Pikachu followed.

" Is it, okay?" Ash said. Misty ran her fingertips gently over its bruised underbelly.

" I don’t know." She looked the hole where the animal’s head was concealed. Ash flipped open his Pokedex and picture of the turtle appeared.

‘ Tanka. A snapping tortoise crystal Pokemon. Most desired for its cute appeal and gentle nature, many of these Pokemon are abandon every year by trainers who dislike its rugged and powerful yet unattractive evolved form.’

" Aww, I don’t see why anybody could be so cruel to something so cute." Misty said, pushing the Tanka onto his belly.

" Dexter said its because they don’t like its evolved form." Ash said, keeling down opposite her and peering into the dark entrance to its shell. A bit of gray sash hung out of it, from its spot tied on its neck. Pikachu tugged on it, and a bit of the green tortoise’s yellow beak stuck out.

" Come out, Tanka, we won’t hurt you." Ash said.

" Yeah, your trainer is gone now." Misty added.

Nothing. The animal chirped ‘ Tanka tanka’ softly to itself as it stayed inside its shell. Misty looked at the blunt-edge pyramids that made up its protective shell, and pulled it so it sat in her lap.

" C’mon Tanka, come out…" She said in the soft mothering tone she always used with Togepi. The Tanka poked its nose out and looked up at her.

" Hello!" She said. The Tanka pulled the rest of its head, neck and its four odd feet out of hiding, and looked with interest at Misty, Ash and Pikachu.

" There you are. Hiya!" Ash said, waving at the Tanka. It gave a cock-eyed smile because of the bruise on the right side of its head. Misty touched it softly.

" We’ll take care of you."

****

Felicia pulled herself up onto the ledge, the black clouds in the sky brewing with power as she did. She pushed her hair back and stood up, looking over the mass of land she could see. She laughed slightly, her eyes taking on a blue glow. She threw her hands skyward.

*Give me power, master….* She mumbled. Huge blots of stark-white lightning hit her hands, and cascaded throughout her body, causing her eyes to glow with intensity. She, in turn released this massive burst of energy onto the fields. Dozens of animals revealed their hiding places, their eyes glowing because of Felicia’s control.

" Go, rampage, destroy everything, and seize all the trainers! Go!" She commanded. The animals rushed in all directions, teeth and claws bared, pieces of the dirt flying upward from the power they exerted.

Felicia’s every movement caused torrents of power to rush through the sky , and a huge storm began to barrel down upon the land.

" Very soon now…."

****

To be continued!